The present invention relates generally to golf clubs and, more particularly, to an golf club head having an improved face plate support.
Many factors must be considered when designing a golf club head. One factor is the distribution of mass about the club head, which is typically quantified by parameters such as moments of inertia (MOI) magnitude and center of gravity (CG) location. Rotational moments of inertia of a club head about the club head CG are measures of a club head's resistance to rotation about the CG and are related to the distribution of mass within the club head about the CG. It is desirable for a club head to have high moments of inertia about the CG, particularly to promote forgiveness for off-center hits. To achieve high moments of inertia about the CG, designers typically position mass to the periphery of the golf club head and backwards from the face plate. In addition, a club head's CG is spaced from the face plate at a prescribed location to achieve a desired launch angle upon impact with a golf ball. As a result, for wood-type club heads (i.e., fairway woods and drivers), large internal volumes are typically desirable.
Another factor in club head design is the face plate of the club head. Upon impact with a golf ball, the face plate of a club head deflects and rebounds, thereby imparting energy to the struck golf ball. The club head's coefficient of restitution (COR) is the ratio of the difference between the ball speed after impact and the club speed after impact and the club speed before impact. A thin face plate generally will deflect more than a thick face plate. Thus, a properly constructed club with a thin, flexible face plate can impart a higher initial velocity to a golf ball than a club with a thick, rigid face plate. In order to maximize the MOI about the CG and achieve a high COR, it typically is desirable to incorporate thin walls and a thin face plate into the design of the club head. Thin walls afford the designers additional leeway in distributing club head mass to achieve desired mass distribution, and a thin face plate may provide for a high COR.
Thus, thin walls are important to a club's performance. However, overly thin walls can adversely affect the club head's durability. Problems also arise from stresses distributed across the club head upon impact with the golf ball, particularly at junctions of club head components, such as the junction of the face plate with other club head components (e.g., the sole, skirt, and crown). One prior solution has been to provide a reinforced periphery about the face plate, such as welding, in order to withstand the repeated impacts. Another approach to combat stresses at impact is to use one or more ribs extending substantially from the crown to the sole vertically, and in some instances extending from the toe to the heel horizontally, across an inner surface of the face plate. These approaches tend to adversely affect club performance characteristics, e.g., diminishing the size of the sweet sport, and/or inhibiting design flexibility in both mass distribution and the face structure of the club head. Thus, these club heads fail to provide optimal MOI, CG, and/or COR parameters, and as a result, fail to provide much forgiveness for off-center hits for all but the most expert golfers.
It should, therefore, be appreciated that there exists a need for a golf club head having a face plate support that facilitates performance and durability. The present invention fulfills this need and others.